Samsung Galaxy Buds update includes hands-free Bixby voice control

The battle of the true wireless buds is heating up

Samsung has released a new update for its true wireless Galaxy Buds, which will enable hands-free voice control of your music with voice assistant, Bixby.

The feature represents new competition for Apple and its AirPods' (2019) hands-free 'Hey Siri' feature, which was a big selling point of its updated true wireless earbuds.

You'll need to have your Galaxy Buds paired to Samsung smartphone to be able to use Bixby though - this particular feature isn't available if you're using them with a handset from a different manufacturer.

According to update notes, it also includes improvements to the Galaxy Buds' touch controls, as well as the ability to fine tune the ambient soundvolume, which lets some environmental sound pass through the earbuds while you're listening to music, as well as select an option to enhance voices over other ambient sound.

How do I update my Samsung Galaxy Buds?

If you'd like to take advantage of the new update, you'll need to open the Galaxy Wearables app.

You should see a pop-up if the update is available to download, but you can also manually check for updates by heading to the 'About earbuds' section of the app, and selecting 'Update earbuds software'.

If you don't have an Android device and therefore don't have access to the app, you can also update the Galaxy Buds on your Mac or PC using "the Galaxy Buds Manager program".

For now, the new Bixby voice control feature is only available in US English and Korean – bad luck if you use Bixby in a different language, but hopefully further updates will bring this functionality in more languages and accents.